This is the final Offseason Report of the year!

This report kicks off again in January during Jersey's off season.

DELAWARE

Indian River

The Bandit fished for tog from Delaware for the last time this year this weekend, and the crew decided to fish offshore to try for big ones, Jerry the mate said in an e-mail. The fishing was slow, because of the trips offshore, and fewer of the blackfish bit than during the previous weekend, but the ones that were caught were hogs. The bite was scratchy, and the fish only hit in small pockets, so some patrons fared better than others. A 15-pound 10-ouncer was the biggest of the weekend and was hauled in by an angler who finally broke his 10-pound mark. Other slipperies were boated that weighed 8 to 12 pounds, and Friday’s catch was best, and Sunday’s was the slowest. A 10-pounder won the pool Sunday. The Bandit, fishing from Delaware for tog since winter, now sails back to its home port in Belmar, N.J., to fish the rest of the year, and charters are being accepted for Belmar. Call: 732-692-9521. Visit Web Site.

VIRGINIA

Virginia Beach

Puppy drum and speckled seatrout were boated at the inlet, and a few flounder also started to be reeled in from the inlet, said Mary Norton from Virginia Beach Fishing Center. The drum picked up oily cut baits such as silversides and mackerel, and the specks jumped on green or smoke-colored grubtails on jigheads. Bluefish from 10 to 12 pounds schooled 14 miles from shore. Bluefin tuna from 30 to 40 pounds swam offshore, and head boats from the marina sailed offshore and got into sea bass, tog and tilefish. The head boats are leaving the dock every Saturday and Sunday.  Visit Web Site.

NORTH CAROLINA

Oregon Inlet

Offshore boaters from Oregon Inlet Fishing Center landed good numbers of yellowfin tuna and sometimes bluefin tuna, and three bluefins where checked in Saturday that weighed 195 pounds, 174 pounds and 55 pounds, Jenny Lippincott said. Scattered catches of wahoo and bigeye tuna were also nabbed. Sea bass and tilefish could also be boated offshore, and not much was heard about fishing closer to shore yet. But a few rockfish swam the sound, and anglers were hoping that drum, bluefish and flounder would show up when the water warmed. Visit Web Site.

Hatteras

Some big drum were pulled from the surf during the past couple of days, and a friend hauled in a 50-incher last night, and a customer called this morning and reported dragging in a 45-incher, said Dave Hissey from The Roost Bait & Tackle at Teach’s Lair Marina. Cut bait grabbed the bigger drum, and fresh shrimp tricked the smaller ones. Drum fishing should only get better, and spring is the best season for them. Scattered sea mullet, small blues, blowtoads and a few throwback flounder also plied the surf. Offshore fishing was excellent for yellowfin tuna, an occasional wahoo and a few king mackerel and dolphin. A 104-pound wahoo, a smoker, was checked in Saturday. Dave heard about no bluefin tuna boated in the past days, but he had been away, and lots of short bluefins were hitting previously. Visit Web Site.

LOUISIANA

Venice

The crew from Paradise Outfitters spent the week competing in a fishing tournament in Miami and did no fishing in Louisiana, the report on its web site said. The catch from Miami included sailfish and tarpon, and charters in Louisiana will begin again soon, chasing wahoos, yellowfin tuna, blackfin tuna and other fish in the Gulf of Mexico. Paradise Outfitters targets big game and also fishes rigs and wrecks for snappers, cobias, groupers and amberjacks. Call: 985-845-8006. Visit Web Site.

FLORIDA

Clearwater/Tampa/Tarpon Springs

Rising water temps and the arrival of migrating bait fish have been a recipe for screaming drags from hungry predator fish in the bays and other waters, Capt. Rich Knox from Absolute Flats Fishing said in an e-mail. Snook were pushing out of winter homes in the creeks and rivers, and catching them could be trying during the transition, but the action was explosive if anglers cast the right baits at the right places, and charters were doing that. They were catching linesiders to 14 pounds on pilchards, pinfish, top-water plugs and jigs. Redfish moved onto the flats in good numbers, and a stealthy approach was necessary, but reds from 5 to 12 pounds were fought on pilchards, pinfish, jigs and gold spoons. Plenty of big speckled seatrout were also on the prowl and only hit live baits, and most of the big ones from 4 to 8 pounds attacked pilchards and pinfish. Large schools of jack crevalles from 5 to 15 pounds chased silver-flecked jerk baits on Texas rigs on the flats around the local power plant, and cobia to 40 pounds rode the backs of large sting rays and sucked down pinfish under a float, a great sight-fishing opportunity. Huge schools of smoker king mackerel and also Spanish mackerel should roam close to the beaches any day, arriving soon after the bait fish or pilchards. So fishing was great, and it was hard for Capt. Rich to find the time for a report, and charters were often hooking 30 fish or more per trip. Giant tarpon season is almost here, because 100- to 200-pounders turn on during May and June at world-famous Boca Grande, a little to the south, and now is the time to book a charter. Call to reserve a date either for the tarpon or for light-tackle fishing for the other species.  Call 727-376-8809 or 800-890-9373 or Visit Web Site.

Jupiter

A stretch of strong winds finally died down, and so did a resurgence of sailfishing, probably the last sailfishing of the year, said Capt. Tony Matarese of Showtime Sportfishing Charters. The easterly winds had pushed the sails and also dolphin and blue water against the shore during the rough weather.  The sails stuck around later than usual this year, and the dolphin that were biting had arrived early. But now king mackerel were starting to arrive, and a few big dolphin were around, and dolphin fishing should improve. Call: 561-743-6942. Visit Web Site.

Miami/Fort Lauderdale/Boca Raton

Winds calmed after a long blow, and seas finally laid down yesterday after many days, and plenty of sailfish, scattered dolphin, king mackerel and cero mackerel could be hooked, said  Capt. Ron Mallet from the Just Add Water. Anglers onboard yesterday connected with all those species, and it wasn’t non-stop action, and they waited between bites, but they put together a catch on live pilchards on kites or drifted. The fish are usually caught only a mile or 1 ½ miles from shore in 70 to 150 feet, and that’s neat, because an angler can fight a sailfish while watching cars drive by. The fishing is approaching its peak, and May is usually the best month in general. In May spring has sprung, and the fish have already reached their farthest migration south and are turned around and heading back north through local waters, and anglers get their last shots at multiple sailfish hook-ups for the year. Dolphin fishing can also be good in May for decent-sized schoolies and larger singles or doubles from 15 to 30 pounds. King mackerel also start showing up in numbers, and May is the time to get chances at larger ones to 30, 40 and 50 pounds, and Ron’s charters have even nailed 60-plus pounders. The kings prefer large baits either slowly trolled far behind or fished on kites. False albacore also start moving in, and blackfin tuna might even be caught. That action usually lasts through the first couple of weeks of June, before the heat takes over, and afterward the fishing turns into a morning bite for king mackerel and false albies. When the weather is too rough to fish the ocean, Ron’s charters often fish the harbor and backwaters to land barracudas and jack crevalles, a blast on light tackle. Call: 954-423-8700. Visit Web Site.

Islamorada

Dolphin started to show up offshore, and the time of year to target them was beginning, said Capt. Bruce Anderson of Captain Easy Charters. A charter Friday put together a good catch of a half-dozen dolphin to 20 pounds and a couple of 30- to 60-pound amberjacks, and plenty of amberjacks were still biting. Bruce was also continuing to run evening shark trips that take place this time of year, and a trip Sunday night tackled three blacktip sharks from 40 to 70 pounds and a half-dozen nurse sharks. Charters sometimes target the sharks in the evening and other fish earlier in the day. Fish caught earlier in the day include the dolphins and the amberjacks but also reef fish, such as yellowtail snappers and groupers, and the reefs were giving up plenty of action. The Call: 305-451-9578 or 305-360-2120. Visit Web Site.

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